Secondary
Mentoring at secondary school
We mentor students in schools at Key Stages 3, 4 and 5 to develop essential skills and improve academic outcomes.
We work with
Why partner with us
Our mentoring prepares students for exams and inspires them for life beyond school.
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Long-term approach
Year-long programmes offer multiple touchpoints ensuring consistent and reliable support for students.
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Power of personalisation
Focus on 1:1 student experiences allows for deeper and more impactful student impact.
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External voice
Removed from the everyday school environment, mentors provide greater objectivity with motivation and clarity to students.
Age groups
How it works
KS3
We support students in Years 7 and 8 to take on the scale and demands of their new setting with a sense of who they are and what they want to achieve.
KS4
In the pre-GCSE run-in, we help students build the right study skills and attitude to make the most of public exams and progression to Sixth Form.
KS5
Sixth Form is a balance of self and selflessness. Y12s learn to know themselves and plan for their futures; we train them to be in-school leaders now and the career leaders of tomorrow.
Metrics that matter
8.3
How beneficial students think having a mentor is out of 10
+24%
Increase in how often students review their career goals after the programme
+18%
Increase in how much students feel they matter within their community
Testimonials
What they say
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Alastair Chirnside
Warden, St. Edward’s Oxford
“The sixth form scheme that Oppidan Education established was outstanding. The pupils developed skills of listening and understanding for life, becoming better leaders within the school community.”
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Clarissa Farr
Director of Education, Affinitas Education
“The components on university application, interviewing and careers are useful springboards from which a school’s sixth form / HE leads could then provide further follow up and extension. There seems to be a strong element of implicit role modelling in what you do that is key to the motivation of the students and the appeal of the sessions.”
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Megan Morris
Executive Principal, Malcolm Arnold Academy (DRET)
“Oppidan has been very successful in our schools. The reach you have enabled us to have across our diverse intake of students, our most vulnerable learners and in creating enriching experiences for all; has been invaluable. We are thrilled to be building even further on this mighty work this academic year.”
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Olivia Boyle
Head of Sixth Form, KA Academy
“Wonderful to see a project that provides such tangible benefits to both groups of children. We have witnessed an increased confidence and sense of wellbeing for all students involved. We know teenagers learn best from their peers, and a programme such as this, feeds into that mentality in the best possible way.”
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Pavandeep Gill
Assistant Principal, St Dominic’s Sixth Form College
The students thoroughly enjoyed the 1:1 sessions and I now have others asking if they could have this at a later date! The mentors were so talented and yet so down to earth, they were relatable and the students were so positive in their feedback to me. Thank you for preparing such a unique opportunity for them.here
In action
Secondary case studies
Frequently asked questions
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Schools we work with often mention the same three key areas of value:
Removed from the everyday school environment, mentors provide a more objective voice providing motivation and clarity to students.
With detailed reporting and 1:1 sessions, our team offer a level of personalisation that’s difficult to recreate in school.
Impetus and consistency: our team offer energy and long-termism to mentoring schemes, providing the resources and structure needed for meaningful impact.
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The Skills Builder Partnership accredits our work (Level 2) and borrows from research with the Oxford Character Project. Our work is also undergoing accreditation from the Association of Character Education to receive its Quality Mark.
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Our resources are built in-house by our education team, several of whom are former teachers. We work closely with the Jubilee Centre and the OCP. Proprietary resources are a key part of our value offering.
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Oppidan is regularly asked to support with inset days and teacher CPD. As experts in character, we’re committed to ensuring that the staff room understands and supports our involvement. We’ll provide additional resources and our character handbook to further lighten the load for teachers.
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Every Oppidan mentor has an enhanced DBS check and has been trained in safeguarding. Our Designated Safeguarding Lead at Oppidan is our co-founder Walter Kerr. We share our policies with a school as we begin our partnership and always support the specific safeguarding needs and regulations in each setting.
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Pricing is on a per student model with the journey the cheapest model for students. For cohort size of 56 students, the whole journey costs just ÂŁ150. State funded schools are eligible to receive up to 50% of the programme cost through grant funding from the Oppidan Foundation.
